Our Daunted Truth
by gryffindorwriter
Summary: Eric Coulter is a Dauntless leader. He's one of the best in the faction and relishes in the fact that most people are scared of him. Violet Windsor has recently become one of the leaders of Candor. She's thrilled about her position and what it holds. Though, when it's revealed that she's going to have to learn defense training at Dauntless, everything changes. Eric/OC
1. Prologue

Eric had silently noted to himself when he first saw her how pretty she was, standing in front of her little brother and seeming to reassure him that everything was going to be okay during the choosing ceremony. She wasn't the one choosing today - her younger brother was. He'd wanted to know her name, but he knew that was very unlikely to happen. She was Candor. He was Dauntless. It was never going to work out between the two of them.

Violet had seen him as soon as she'd walked into the room, but she made sure they didn't lock eyes. He was tall, looming, slightly scarier than all of the boys she was used to seeing around Candor. He was different, but it was expected of him to be - he was clearly Dauntless. She found herself wanting to know his name, but she knew it wasn't going to happen. She was here today for her brother. And only him. Today was the day of his aptitude test and she knew he was nervous.

She stood in front of him, placing her hands on his shoulders and kneeling slightly. He was only 16, and due to the small heel on her boots, she found herself being only a small bit taller than him, standing only at 5'6".

"Henry, listen to me," she spoke, staring him directly in his bright blue eyes, ones she'd wished that she'd inherited. "You are going to be perfectly okay. I'm not lying to you, and you know that. Remember when I chose? Even if you don't choose to stay in Candor, we're still going to support you."

Eric watched as he nodded back at her before she leant forward and pressed a kiss to his forehead and followed her parents to the other side of the room, leaving her brother standing with the rest of the sixteen year olds who were choosing today. He silently relished in the fact that he'd learn her surname too when her brother's name was called.

Violet smiled as she stood next to her parents, folding her hands in front of her and watching as they began to read the names from the list. She was glad that her surname was one of the ones at the end, meaning that Henry would be able to get it over and done with. She hoped he'd choose to stay in Candor, as she had when she had chosen, but she had a feeling he wouldn't.

Marcus Eaton was reading out each of the names, beginning with Z, as usual. Adelaide Zabek. Edward York. Isabella Yang. Henry Windsor.

She watched her brother neared the stage, and could see how much he was shaking. Eric watched as she grabbed her mothers hand beside her, noticing how nervous she was. After hearing her surname - Windsor - he still didn't know who she was.

As Henry cut the palm of his hand, Violet's grip on her mothers hand became stronger and she found herself breathing heavily as Henry's hand hovered over Amity. Though, just as the blood was about to fall, he moved it sideways, letting the blood drip onto the Candor glass.

Violet let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding and soon found herself with her arms around Henry as he buried his face into her shoulder. She grinned at him. "I'm so proud you, Henry," she murmured into his hair.

Eric stopped himself from smiling and instead continued watching as the remainder of the sixteen year olds chose. He didn't see her as he left. She'd already left with the Candor faction by the time the Dauntless initiates and leaders had reached the doorway and began to run down the stairs at a hurried pace.


	2. Chapter 1 - Dauntless Has Chosen

**A/N: I just want to clear up a few things before we begin with the actual story! This takes place the year after Tris has joined Dauntless. There was no war at the end of Divergent and Jeanine is still working strong as the head of Erudite. Eric is Movie!Eric, because I adore Jai Courtney, and I imagine Violet as Emma Watson, but it's completely up to you who you see her as! I made up the idea of the Interfactional Dialogue Committee and Violet is my own character. I do not own any other ideas in this story. Please enjoy and review, as well!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Dauntless Has Chosen**

I had never been scared of Jack Kang. He was a nice enough man, and growing up around him in Candor due to my father's friendship with him made him much kinder to our family than he was with the rest of us. We all appreciated his kindness toward us, of course, but I couldn't help but feel a niggling when he'd called me into his office to talk to me about something important.

Just over a month ago, I'd submitted my file to Jack and the rest of the office here at Candor to take part in a new leadership program that was taking place among all of the factions here in Chicago. The Interfactional Dialogue Committee was relatively new, and, having been interested in peace between all factions, I was thrilled when Jack told me over a family dinner that he and the board had been considering me to get the leadership position.

But the nerves were still there as I walked into Jack's office and took a seat in the black chair behind his desk. I'd been in here plenty of times, mostly just to talk with him when I needed someone to talk to that wasn't my family or my best friend. I found that, because of our honesty, Jack was one of the best to talk to. He was a leader, so he was harsh but because of his loyalty to our family, he was kind. It was a good mixture, I believed.

Jack smiled at me as I settled into the chair, folding my hands in my lap as I looked up at him. He hadn't changed since I was little. He always looked the same, and I was suddenly glad that I didn't look like the six year old he knew me as, and instead, as the 20 year old woman who wanted to become a leader in her faction.

"Violet," he began, his hand hovering above a pile of papers on his desk. "Your application for the Interfactional Dialogue Committee has been heavily looked over for the past month, and the board and I have come to the decision that you will be perfect for the job."

I found myself grinning at him and begging myself not to let my excitement about the situation show. "Oh, my Goodness," I spoke, unsure how to take the news. "This is fantastic, Jack, thank you so very much! How kind of you to give me the position."

Jack grinned at me, before standing up and walking around the desk and pulling me into a hug. He rarely hugged me, and had only rarely done so when I was younger, but I smiled and melted into his arms. "We're all very proud of how far you've come here at Candor, Violet, really," he smiled. "The board and I have known you since you were born, and we're more than thrilled to give you the position."

I nodded at him, waiting for him to continue just after we pulled away from the hug. "If you want to go and inform your family, please do so. But I'd like you to be back here tomorrow morning at 9am. We're going to be introducing you to the leaders of each faction and talking you over your job."

"Thank you very much, Jack," I grinned at him once more before leaving the office. His office was on the top floor of Candor, and my families apartment was only a few levels below it. While most of Candor's main building was dedicated to the offices and workspaces, the most prominent families had a spot on the five floors set aside for them. Jack's family, my family, and three other families took them.

I stepped out of the elevator at our apartment and walked inside, finding my mom inside the kitchen. It was plain, white and black, and I loved the differences of color inside it. My mother smiled at me as I sat down on one of the breakfast stools in front of her, wondering where my brother, sister and father were.

She saved my thoughts by telling me. "Your father is still at work, darling. Henry and Rosaline are downstairs with their friends. Did your meeting with Jack go well?" She asked me.

I nodded, unable to keep the grin off my face. "I got the job, mom," I grinned up at her. Her smile was large as she moved around the bench and pulled me into a hug.

"Oh, darling, congratulations! Your father and siblings are going to be so proud, too! What do you have to do now?" She spoke, moving back around to continue cutting up the tomato for tonights dinner.

I shrugged at her. "I'm not too sure, honestly. Jack told me I have to meet him tomorrow morning to meet with the other faction leaders. After that, I suppose I'll know all of the details about what this position holds."

My mother smiled sweetly at me again. She was young, still, but she looked aged by time. She was a hard worker, and always had been. I didn't know how she'd raised Rosaline, myself and Henry so well. She didn't look too much like me. She had blonde hair tied back into a tight bun. I resembled my father more.

"Darling Violet, we're so very proud of you, I do hope you know that." I nodded at her.

"I know, mom, I know. And I'm so very happy you are."

* * *

The next morning, I woke with a mind full of excitement. Today, I would meet with the leaders of the other factions and I'd never felt the excitement I was feeling now. I had high expectations of them, but I'd never met any of them except Jack.

I dressed quickly in black pants and a white shirt before making sure I looked presentable enough and taking the elevator back up to Jack's office. It was five to nine when I arrived, and I was glad that I was early rather than late.

I knocked politely on his door and Jack let me in, smiling at me and showing me to my place on the table. At the other end of his room, away from his desk, stood a round table. I'd never been sure what it was for, but today I was. There were six spots placed around it and I spotted my name on a small piece of paper in front of my seat.

 _Violet Windsor, Leader for the Interfactional Dialogue Committee._

I smiled as I saw it and took my seat.

Jack didn't sit down for a while and instead sat at his own desk, continuing to work on papers. Just after nine, a few more people filed into the room and I smiled as I watched them each enter.

Jack stood and walked towards me, waiting for each of them to take a seat. Once each of us were sat down and each of their assistants were stood behind them, Jack took it upon himself to introduce them to me.

"I'd like to introduce all of you to our newest leader, Violet Windsor. Yesterday, she received the position of Leader for the Interfactional Dialogue Committee, a new committee which we are about to put into action here at Candor to ensure peace and honesty within each faction.

"As Violet knows, my name is Jack Kang, and I am the official representative force behind Candor. Violet, I would like to introduce you to the other leaders and representatives behind each of the factions,"

He began, pointing to the lady sitting to his right. She had a long scar running from her left cheek to her right, which was surely the most striking feature of her. "This is Johanna Reyes, the official representative of Amity. We thank you for attending today, Johanna."

Jack moved on to the man sitting next to Johanna. He was taller than all others around the table, even when seated, and had a shaved head, dressed in grey clothes. I knew he, immediately, was from Abnegation. "This is Marcus Eaton, he is one of the leaders of Abnegation. He helps to fun the council with Andrew Prior. We thank you for attending today, Marcus," I sent him a warm smile.

I felt cold as Jack moved onto the woman beside Marcus. She was blonde and dressed in blue, with a steely look on her face. I hesitated as Jack introduced her. "Jeanine Matthews, the leader of Erudite. We thank you for being here today, Jeanine," I nodded my head at her, shaking off any worries I had about her. I had to work with her, and she surely would not be so bad.

On my left, Jack introduced one of the leaders of Dauntless, introducing him only as Max. He was tall, too, and was built bulkily. He, surprisingly, didn't scare me as much as Jeanine did. Jack continued. "Max is only one of the leaders of Dauntless and co-rules the faction with Four, Tori Wu, Harrison and Eric Coulter."

I nodded at them all before Jack motioned to me to introduce myself. None of these people had met me before and it was crucial I made a good impression on them. "Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen," I began. I had spoken to my mother about this last night - what to say and what not to - so, luckily, the nerves were quiet in my stomach as I spoke. "My name, as you all now know, is Violet Windsor and I am honoured to be taking this place among each of you. I truly look forward to working with each of you in my position and hope that peace and honestly can truly be gained through this cooperation between the five factions."

Jack smiled at me before flipping open a folder and passing a spare one to me. I opened it too, reading the first words on the page.

 _Violet Windsor - Leader of the IFDC Schedule and Training Program._

I waited for Jack to begin speaking. "As I have previously discussed with each of you," he said, looking around the table at the leaders. "Violet here is to work and train in one of your factions. for two months at the end of this year. I am aware, Violet that this is news to you."

I nodded at him, shocked. I was going to have to live and train for my position in a faction other than Candor. I took a deep breath.

"Beginning at the end of this month, on October 31st, you will move into one of the factions of one of these leaders. We have left it among them to discuss at our previous meetings and hope that one of them has come to a decision among which of them will take you. You will receive leadership training among their faction and learn thoroughly in creating bonds between that faction and Candor. The leader that has chosen you had focused on this aspect. After your training finishes, you will work both with that faction and Candor in creating bonds with the remaining factions,"

Jack watched me as I nodded, and I sent him a reassuring smile. Surely it wouldn't be too bad. I'd have to leave my family at some point, and I would have had to do so earlier even if I hadn't gotten this position and had chosen a different faction at the choosing ceremony a few years earlier.

"Please, reveal which one of you has chosen to take and train Miss Windsor," Jack spoke, his voice clear. I was glad I did not have to speak, worrying that my voice would shake with the nerves that had suddenly risen in my stomach.

I watched around the table as nobody spoke, eventually, Johanna began to speak. "Amity has chosen not to take and train Miss Windsor, as we believe that our faction is not the one in which her skills will be valued more consistently."

The others continued to speak. "Abnegation has chosen not to take and train Miss Windsor, as we believe that selflessness is something that she already possesses and we believe her talents will be valued elsewhere."

"Erudite has chosen not to take and train Miss Windsor. We don't believe her talents will be accurately recognised among the strong personalities of Erudite."

I turned to Max, who sent me something that resembled a smile.

"Dauntless has chosen to train Miss Windsor. We believe her honesty and capability to take on such a tough job will be most correctly recognised throughout Dauntless and look forward to taking her on."

Jack smiled at me, and I sent him a quick one back before he began to speak again.

"Congratulations, Violet, for being taken in by Dauntless. I, too, believe your strong will and talents will be appreciated most fiercely in Dauntless. You have four days to pack your belongings and read through the files I gave you before. Max will arrive at 9am on October 31st to take you back to Dauntless."

* * *

For the rest of the morning, I wandered aimlessly throughout Candor, eventually finding myself in the cafeteria and taking a seat at the back of the room with a plate of salad in front of me. The fear of leaving my friends and family was going to be tough for me, but I knew I could do it. If that was what this position entails, I'd do it. I'd headed back to our apartment after the leaders had left, but it was empty. Both my parents were working, as was Rosaline, and Henry was in training.

When the lunch bell rang, I found myself joined by one of my closest friends who had just finished his morning shift at work. I smiled at him as he sat down across from me with a matching plate of salad in front of him.

"Morning, Violet," he greeted, taking a sip of the orange juice he'd just opened.

I smiled up at him and took a bite of my salad. "Good morning," I replied to him, worried instantly about telling him about what was going to be happening in the next few days. It worried me that I only had a few more days with him.

Was he going to be angry? He didn't know that I had the position yet, and I was worried to tell him, simply because he'd been one of my closest friends since I was a child and the thought of leaving him was something so unimaginable to me.

"How was your morning?" Christopher asked me, and I nodded in contemplation.

"Quite busy, actually," I chuckled, deciding to tell him. It was now or never. "Actually, last night I received the position of Leader for the Interfactional Dialogue Committee. I spent my morning with Jack and the other faction leaders."

Christopher's face dropped into an open mouthed look of shock. "Oh, no way, Violet! That's amazing. Congratulations! How was it? Your meeting with the leaders."

I grinned at him. "It was wonderful, actually! I really enjoyed myself," Christopher grinned at me. "But, uh, I'm going to have to leave Candor for a while to fulfill my position."

Christopher looked at me, confused. "You're leaving Candor? What for? I didn't think was allowed. We're supposed to stay loyal to our faction."

"I know, but it's different. I have this position to make bonds with other factions, meaning I'm going to have to train with them. Well, one of them, really. I'm not sure if I'm going to eventually have to train with Amity, Erudite and Abnegation too or if I'll just stick with Dauntless."

He looked at me again, this time, his eyebrows were furrowed. Christopher was an attractive man, and he always had been. He'd recently turned 21, and most of the time, my family insisted I marry him when I was a little older. I refused, telling them in all honesty that my attraction to Christopher started and ended at friendship. I could only help he knew that too. But in the back of my mind, I knew he'd tell me if it didn't go that way for him too.

"You're going to Dauntless?" He gawked at me.

I nodded at him. "Max, one of the leaders, told me that it would be the best faction for me to train in to begin with. It's heavily tied to Candor. They equate honesty and bravery as being something very similar."

Christopher nodded, contemplating the situation. "Wow, Violet," he chuckled. "I can't quite believe you're leaving. Of course, I'm a little apprehensive, but I don't mind. Really. I'm just so happy you've received such a great job here in Candor, even if it means moving away for a little while."

I stood up and moved around the table, taking the seat beside Christopher and pulling him into a hug. "I'm leaving on the 31st, but don't worry, I will see you again," I assure him.

When I tell my parents, the two of them are thrilled. They both believe it'll be an amazing opportunity for me to move into Dauntless for a while and learn to train with them. They're unbelievably proud of me, and I couldn't be happier.

Upon telling Rosaline, my older sister, she only grins at me and pulls me into a tight hug before telling me that she's never been happier for me, and that she'll miss me.

It is when I tell Henry that everything changes. He frowns at me and shakes his head. "You're ditching us, Vi?"

I shake my head at him. "No, No, Henry. I'm not ditching you. I'm coming back. I'm just going to Dauntless to train for my position. You've still got the rest of us, don't forget that, okay, little guy?" I grin at him. He may be sixteen, but he's unbelievably small for his age.

He pulls me into a tight hug and I smile but hug him back.

That night when I head to my bedroom to go to sleep, I begin packing my things and fill half of my suitcase up with clothing items that I know I'm going to need. Though, as I drift to sleep that night, I don't doubt that I'm going to need to purchase many more items of clothing when I arrive at Dauntless.

If I'm going to be trained to fight like most of Dauntless does, I'm not going to be able to wear a white button-up shirt and dress pants to do so. While I let myself sleep, I dream of the morning of October 31st, and unconsciously wish for the day to come closer.


	3. Chapter 2 - Welcome to Dauntles

_**Chapter 2 - Welcome To Dauntless**_

* * *

On the morning of the 31st of October, I find myself awake much earlier than usual. It was mostly due to my nerves, I found, as I threw the covers off my bed and made it before getting myself ready in the bathroom.

It felt odd to put all of the items I used into a bathroom bag, which I eventually placed in my suitcase. I'd managed to fit everything I needed into one single suitcase and was glad about that. I didn't want to be judged for arriving to Dauntless carrying more bags than necessary. '

All that the suitcase carried was the essentials - clothing, undergarments, my bathroom items and small trinkets that I wanted to have with me. I found myself becoming extremely nervous as the clock ticked closer to 9am. My mother, having woken up early too, had cooked eggs for the family and I was glad that she'd done so. Her cooking was something I was surely going to miss.

Jack Kang knocked on my door five minutes before 9am and I sighed, turning to hug my family. I didn't think I'd see them for a while. Jack spoke with my father as Ipulled my mother close to me. She smiled.

"You're going do do well, Violet. I'm not a liar, and you know that more than anyone. This job is perfect for you. We're always here for you, darling," she murmured into my ear. I hugged her tighter.

Usually, Rosaline and I weren't big huggers, but I felt like I'd never been hugged tighter than when she hugged me before I left. She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close to her. "Good luck, little sister," she whispered into my ear and I chuckled at the fact that her and mom had basically done the same thing.

Henry was the tightest hugger though. He pulled me close as if he was never going to let me go. Mom had to pull him away from me by the time it happened and I chuckled. He was 16, but he still seemed 11. I pressed a kiss to his forehead like I'd done at the choosing ceremony. "I'll see you in a bit, okay, little guy?" I grinned at him and he nodded back at me.

"Good luck, Vi."

Finally, I was pulled into the arms of my father and he chuckled at me as we hugged. My father wasn't a very big hugger and I was glad that he'd allowed for us to hug today. When it was time for me to leave, I wheeled my suitcase out after me and followed Jack into the elevator, taking us to the ground floor.

Max looked out of place in the cleanliness of the Candor lobby. I held back a small laugh as Jack and I walked towards him.

"Good morning, sir," I spoke as I stopped in front of him. He smiled back at me, motioning for his assistant to take my suitcase and put it in the car. I let him do so and stood with Jack and Max.

"Are you all ready to go?" Max asked me, and I nodded simply. I was ready.

Max nodded back at me. "I'll be out at the car, say your final goodbye and join me in a few moments." He turned and walked away from the lobby quickly and stood at the door of a black car.

I turned to Jack, who smiled sweetly at me and pulled me in for a quick hug. When he pulled away, he began to speak. "You're going to excel at Dauntless, Violet. I don't doubt it for a second. You're one of the mentally and physically stronger members of Candor and this is a wonderful opportunity for you. I do hope you embrace it."

* * *

The car was fancy, but not as fancy as the Candor cars I'd been in before. I think that Max pulled out his finger and got a better car just to transport me back and I silently thanked him.

The car ride to Dauntless didn't take too long and by 9:30 we'd already reached the compound. It was shorter and wider than Candor was and I was becoming increasingly nervous about what was going to happen when I was inside. I was a 20 year old leader of Candor. I didn't know what the rest would think of me. I could only believe it would be good.

Max assured me that his assistant would take my suitcase up to my apartment while he took me to meet the other leaders of the faction before I settled in. As we walked he told me about what my day would contain.

"We're going upstairs now to the control rooms where I'll introduce you to the rest of the leaders. We make up five. There's me, Eric, Tori, Four and Harrison. Afterwards, I'll allow one of the leaders to escort you to your apartment. Then, Tori will accompany you to the stores and you will purchase appropriate training items. Tori will let you know about what you need to purchase. I'll let the leader who escorts you to your apartment tell you about dinner and other items."

I nodded at him, following him inside the compound. It was much darker and colder in here than in Candor, and I immediately found myself missing the warm and lightness of the offices in which I had previously spent my time. We took the stairs up to the control room and I was glad that I hadn't worn too many fancy clothes today - I'd put on a simple pair of black jeans and a white button-up shirt with a pair of black shoes. I didn't think I looked too fancy, but I certainly looked like a Candor.

Max opened the main door to the control room for me and I followed him through. "This is the control room. Here we control most of the cameras in the compound. It also contains the offices of each of the leaders. We'll give you a temporary one during your time here."

"That's very kind of you, thank you, sir," I smiled, following him through. He stopped in front of a large black door and looked at me.

"There's no need to be nervous, Miss Windsor. Inside, you will meet each of the leaders. While some of them may take to you better than others, you will ultimately only be trained by two of them. I will choose both of these people to train you during your time here in which you will focus on combat, defense and also work in the control room here."

I nodded at him and Max pushed the door open, allowing me to follow in after him. I looked around the room immediately as I stepped inside, my eyes scanning each of the people standing inside. There was only one girl, who looked much tougher than I was and I hoped that there were other girls around here who looked more friendly. I silently noted that this girl must be Tori, the one who Max told me will help me purchase training clothes. She stands next to two men, one who reminds me a lot of Marcus Eaton from Abnegation, though younger and fresher looking, and another who is tall with long blonde hair.

Max looks at the three of them, confused. "Where is Eric?" He asked.

"He's running late, Max. A couple of initiates got into a pretty bad fight during the training this morning and he's going to be up here as soon as possible." Tori speaks, and I am shocked at how different and sweet sounding her voice is against her look.

Max nods and moves toward the round table in the centre of the room, just like the one in Candor. I take a seat between him and the boy who looks like Marcus. He sends me what I hope is a friendly smile before Max begins speaking.

"We'll start without Eric and fill him in when he arrives," he said. "This is Violet Windsor, Leader for the Interfactional Dialogue Committee. She's 20 years old from Candor. She's going to be training here with us until she is completely aware of the way in which our system runs. It's incredibly important you push her as much as possible."

The three of them nod. "This is Four, Tori and Harrison, Violet," he explained. "Four mainly works with the initiates. Tori works in the tattoo parlor and also here in the control room. Harrison works up here too. Eric, when he arrives, helps Four with the initiates and works closely with Erudite and the other factions to ensure our relationships remain strong with them. I think it would be beneficial to spend time with him. I'll have him take you back to your apartment," he said. "If he ever arrives."

I nod at the three of them and smile before turning back to Max. "When does training begin?" I asked him.

"Tomorrow morning, 8am." He is interrupted by someone walking inside, closing the door behind them and silently taking the seat next to him at the table. My eyes widen when I realise who he is - he's the one I stared at for a little too long at Henry's choosing ceremony. I look away suddenly, realising this is Eric.

"Eric, nice of you to join us," Max said, gruffly. Eric's face doesn't change. He still stares blankly around the room. "Meet Violet Windsor. She's Candor and Leader for the Interfactional Dialogue Committee. She's going to be working and training here for a few months with us."

I can almost hear Eric groan at the fact, the look on his face. He looked different when at the choosing ceremony. Calmer, yet stronger, and I wonder what I've done to annoy him so much.

* * *

Max has made Eric walk me back to my apartment. He doesn't look too thrilled at the idea, and I don't really blame him. He's probably got work to do, yet Max has given him the job of looking after me. As we step out of the elevator on to the leaders floor he begins to speak.

"This is the floor where all of the leaders live. Apartment 1 is Max, 2 is Tori, 3 is Four, 4 is Harrison, 5 is you and 6 is mine. You've got your own key, you can let yourself in and get settled in or do whatever you want. Tori said she'll be up in around half an hour to take you to buy stuff," he looks me up and down. "And by the looks of you, you're no Dauntless."

I frown at him. "Obviously I'm not, right? I'm Candor, through and through. I'm here because of my job and I'm happy to be. So don't go making it difficult for me. I'm here to work and you're here to help me out."

He chuckles at me. "Watch yourself, Candor. I don't tolerate smart mouths and you're one of the worst we've had. I've known my fair share of Candor smart mouths. Don't make yourself known for being one."

We stop outside my apartment and I narrow my eyes at him before slipping the key card into the hole on the door and stepping inside. Before I close it, I look at him again. He's still standing outside my door watching me. "I'd rather be a Candor smart mouth than a Dauntless asshole any day."

I close the door before he can retaliate and turn to take in my apartment. It's small, but it's a good enough size for my liking. There's a kitchen to the left of me and a dining table near it. On the right is the living room, containing only a small coffee table and some lounges.

I walk further into the room and take it all in. It's not too different from Candor, yet there is less white colouring and more black. I walk into the room just next to the living room and enter what I believe is my bedroom. It's simple and small with a double bed in the middle, a set of drawers on the right of it and another door on the left hand side of the bed which I assume leads into a bathroom.

My suitcase is sitting at the foot of my bed and before Tori arrives I begin to unpack it. It doesn't take me long to hang up my t-shirts and dress pants on the bar that is installed just next to the dresser. I set up my undergarments and casual clothing into the drawers and head into the bathroom with my bathroom bag. It's a small bathroom, but is surprisingly mostly white. The shower looks large and next to it is a bath. I place everything from my bag into the cabinet and around the sink before heading back to the bedroom and placing the other small items around my room - in the bedside table, on it, on the window-sill - wherever they fit.

It doesn't seem long until a knock sounds on my door and I slide my suitcase into a corner before heading to the door and unlocking it, smiling at Tori when I find her outside. She is leaning against my door frame. Her long black and grey hair was striking on her, and unlike any hair I'd seen before. Candor kept it natural.

I close the door behind me and followed her silently to the elevator. "There are a set of stores upstairs. We'll look around and buy you some new casual clothes. Max has made it clear to me that you'll use his card to buy whatever you want. I'm here to instruct you on what's necessary for training and what isn't."

I nod at her. "Okay, that sounds simple," I step into the elevator after her and let it take us up a level. "What am I going to need, exactly, for training?"

Tori waits until we leave the elevator to speak again. "Singlet tops, leggings, black pants, boots, jackets, Dauntless shirts. You've got to look the part if you want to understand Dauntless."

We walk through to one of the first stores and I wander behind Tori. She picks up items of clothing as we walk through, handing them all to me eventually before shoving me into a changing room. I embarrassingly change out of my jeans and dress shirt and into the tight black pants and black singlet top and frown. I'm much more comfortable in the Candor clothes, but I know that if I want to truly succeed here, I have to dress like Dauntless do as well. I don't want to stick out like a sore thumb.

After trying on the jackets, leggings and a few burnt orange singlet shirts I change back into my original outfit and head back out to Tori who eyes me. I nod at her. "These are all fine. What else do we need?" I ask her and she shrugs at me.

"Suppose we should go and buy you some boots," she stands and walks me to the counter where she hands over Max's card and we purchase my items in a large black bag. Tori drags me to a store a few away from the one we were just in and shoves me toward one of the men there, taking my bags.

It isn't long before I'm having my feet measured and fitted for the perfect pair of boots. It all feels a little extreme. I'm used to comfort clothes, not tight pants and shirts and fitted boots. I frown as I stand in the large and bulky boots. They're the right size and I imagine it's just me telling myself that the boots are bigger then they actually are.

I leave the store with Tori with a new pair of boots and she walks me back to the elevator. "Dinner is at 7, you've still got a few hours until then. Eric should come to your apartment and take you down so you don't get lost. I've got to get back to work, but I'll see you later."

I nod at her and step back into the elevator, dropping down a level and soon arriving back in my apartment. It only takes me a few minutes to fold the new clothes and place the boots on the floor next to the dresser. These items are less easily creased than what I wore at Candor, and I'm silently glad that I don't need to hang these up like I do with my pants and dress shirts.

* * *

Eric doesn't come to get me for dinner.

I'm not surprised when the clock hits 7:05 and he still isn't here, so I attempt to make my way down on my own. I've changed into what I deem more Dauntless attire, keeping my black jeans and shoes on and changing into one of the grey singlets we bought, pulling one of the black jackets over the top of it. I brush my hair before I leave and shove the key card into my pocket before heading toward the elevator. I try to remember where I've been and try to figure out where it is.

I decide to start from the bottom and let the elevator take me to the ground floor before wandering around. It doesn't take me long to hear the noise that ought to be coming from rowdy Dauntless dining and I walk through an empty room with a large sign reading 'The Pit' and into a room that must be the Dining Hall.

I smile to myself as I walk in, wandering around in an attempt to find a seat. I see Max and begin to make my way over to him. He's the one I'm most acquainted to right now. He smiles at me and moves up the bench so there's a space next to him for me. I sit down and look at the foods on the table. It all looks much unhealthier than in Candor and I feel reluctant to eat it. I see something familiar - a hamburger - and take one to my plate before looking up and seeing who is around the table.

My eyes settle on Eric who is drinking something from one of the cups on the table. When his eyes meet mine, I simply smile at him. He'd known he had to pick me up for dinner, and yet, I've made it here on my own.

He narrows his eyes at me when he notices my smile, yet it only makes me smile wider at him as I look away and take a bite into my hamburger. It isn't as bad as it looks, and after ten minutes, it's finished.


	4. Chapter 3 - Crappy Mashed Potato

_**Chapter 3 - Crappy Mashed Potato**_

Dauntless felt cold.

I didn't know if this was the normal temperature of the place or if it was just because of the cold weather draping itself over Chicago. I hoped for the latter, wanting it to be warm if I was still here in the earlier months of next year.

The training room was freezing as I made my way into it, shoving my hands into the pockets of the jacket I'd shoved on as I made my way out of the door of my apartment. I'd surprisingly slept really well last night and figured it was just because of the warmth of my apartment. It had it's own heating system and as soon as I'd figured out how to work it, I'd turned it on and let it warm me up all night.

I was surprised to find out that the training room wasn't empty and that there was a large group of people crowded around the area to the left of the room near a door that I suspected led to the outside. Four stood with them and waved me over as soon as he saw me.

It didn't take me long to reach him and I stopped in front of him, looking at him in confusion as to why he'd called me over. Seeing the people closer, I realised they were younger and more likely to be initiates rather than full fledged members of Dauntless.

Four smiled at me and stood in front of me before motioning to the initiates. "Morning, Violet," he greeted. I smiled at him and he turned back around to face the initiates in front of us. "This is Violet Windsor, she's from Candor and she's the Leader of the Interfactional Dialogue Committee. She's going to be working here alongside a us leaders and trainers, plus a few of you, for a few more months."

They all nodded and greeted me before Four told them to wait a moment as he spoke to me. "We're doing something simple this morning. Eric and I decided last night that we're going to work you on a modified version of the initiates training program. Since you didn't enter Dauntless the way everybody else did, that's what we're focusing on this morning."

"And what does that entail?" I asked him, furrowing my eyebrows.

He chuckled at me and shook his head. "We're not telling you any of that, you just have to trust us. Come on, follow us up. This door leads to the roof."

I frowned at him but followed him and the rest of the initiates up a large staircase, leading to the roof. I could see a train track running beside it and figured that was how the initiates entered Dauntless, but I knew there would have been a more complex way to actually enter the complex. It would be one thing to jump from a train, and another to enter the faction of the brave.

A few of the initiates grinned at me as Four led me toward a ledge. The sun was still rising in the sky and it was quiet, the train not having come by yet. "I figured having the initiates here would make you more comfortable." He spoke as he stepped up onto the ledge of the roof.

I raised my eyebrows at him. "I'm not sure if they will make me feel better, considering I'm unsure what you're planning on doing. But I'll try my best."

The rest of the initiates grouped around me and stood as if they'd just jumped off the train and were waiting to enter. Four smirked at me and began to speak. "Alright, listen up. I'm Four and I'm one of your leaders. If you want to enter Dauntless, this is the way in. If you don't have the guts to jump, you don't belong here in Dauntless and you may as well consider this part of your training an instant fail, which I'm sure won't be appreciated by Mr. Jack Kang back at Candor."

"I'm jumping off the roof? Wait, what's at the bottom?"

"Well, I suppose you're just going to have to find out, aren't you?" Four jumped off the wall, landing in front of the initiates with a thump on the hard ground. I frowned and moved forward, leaning over the edge a little to try and see what was down there. All I could see was a large hole in the ground.

"You don't really make initiates do this, do you? Four, I don't think that this is a good idea. This can't be safe, at all."

A boy from the back spoke. "Oh, they do. Believe us. Just jump."

I frowned at him, but knelt forward onto the wall, pulling myself up into a standing position. I looked straight ahead of me to the building across before speaking to Four again.

"Last chance to back down from this, Four. I'm begging you to not let me do this," I sighed. He didn't reply. "This isn't okay, not one bit."

I spoke my mind. It was what I'd been expected to do, and jumping off a roof high above Dauntless wasn't going to stop me.

I moved my feet forward a little, before pulling my hands from my pockets and shaking them in front of me. Without another thought, I moved my eyes back down to the hole in the ground and kicked my legs out from underneath me, instantly feeling myself falling.

With the feeling of the fall, I couldn't manage to push myself to scream and instead felt myself falling further and further, not hitting the ground. I knew I would soon enough, and that would probably be the end of me. Eric had probably conned Four, last night, into pretending this was initiation and killing me instead.

Instantly, I felt my back hit a net, pushing me back up and around with the force. I let myself breathe again, staring back up at the ledge where I'd just jumped and grabbing the net around me to steady myself. My heart was beating faster in my chest at the fact that I'd thought I was going to die.

Suddenly, the net was being pulled, and I let go, finding myself rolling toward the edge. I steadied myself again to see Eric standing there, holding the net down with two hands. He looked tired, but still tough with his piercings and tattoos.

"I'm surprised you jumped, Candor," he spoke roughly. "Thinking of how many Candors I know, you would have chickened out."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Four is aware of how bad I thought the idea was, but I've done it now so nobody can hold it against me."

Eric chuckled, stepping forward again and placing his hands on my waist to pull me out of the net. I thought, for a moment, at how daft I'd been upon thinking he was different when I was at Henry's choosing ceremony.

"That's all you're doing with Four today anyway, Candor. He's not going to care if you hated the idea of jumping or not. You're working with me today, so catch your breath and meet me in the training room again in five minutes."

"Why is that all I'm doing with Four?" I stepped toward him, raising my eyebrows.

"Four has the initiates to work with, and in his opinion, they're more important than you are. He'll work with you on occasion, but for the most part, I'm training you. And remember what I told you last night, Candor. I don't tolerate smart-mouths, so watch yourself around me or you'll regret it."

* * *

An hour later, the training room still felt as cold as it was before and I frowned as I walked in, seeing Eric standing near the punching bags with two bottles of water in his hands. He frowned at me as I walked towards him. "You're late."

"I had to go to the bathroom after jumping off a building. I'm sorry I was late but I think you'd rather I actually use the toilet rather than holding it all in, right?"

Eric narrowed his eyes at me and stepped towards me, sitting the bottles of water down on the ground. He was close in my face, closer than most people had ever been to me before.

"I've seen you before, Candor, and I'm not taking any of your crap."

I sighed at him and looked him straight in the eyes. "I know you've seen me before, Eric. I've seen you too. But just because you've seen me before doesn't mean you have the ability to control me, okay?"

He didn't take a step back as I was expecting him to.

"Watch yourself, Candor. I'm not going to take any of your crap, and you need to understand that. I'm here to teach you what you need to learn, so take that in your stride and listen or you're going to fail here. You may not be an actual initiate, but you're as good as to me. If you fail, you're going to have to go back to old pal Jack and tell him you're not cut out for the job."

"I'm not going to fail, Eric," I shuffled closer. "I'm going to make Jack proud and I'm going to fulfill my job without a doubt. And you need to accept that. You may be older than me by a couple of years, you may be a complete Dauntless, but I'm not. I'm Candor, and I always will be Candor. So get off my back, okay? Let me do what I want to do here, let me train as I want to train and deal with it." I stepped back from him. "Now show me some punches."

* * *

Dauntless was bringing out a new side to me, I realised, as I sat down at one of the tables in the dining hall for lunch. Usually, I was never so upfront and rude to people. Candor wasn't like that. It allowed for me to be truthful without being rude about it. I wished it was like that here.

I sighed as I moved the spoonful of mashed potato to my mouth, eating it slowly. Eric had shown me some punches, as I'd asked him to, and I was now becoming a natural at hitting a punching bag. I was yet to fight an actual person and didn't plan on it yet. Eric had offhandedly mentioned that I'd be able to fight with one of the initiates later in my training, but I doubted he'd carry it out.

The potato was bland as I continued to eat it and I suddenly wished they served hamburgers at lunch as well as at dinner. I found myself wanting more than awful mashed potato and chicken for lunch and after a few more bites, I stood up and threw it in the bin on my way out, making my way back to the training room.

Technically, I wasn't supposed to be back there until 1pm like Eric had asked me to, but it was only 12:30pm now and I was sick and tired of waiting around and eating bad food. I slowly made my way back over to the punching bags and worked on punching again.

Jab, cross, right uppercut, left uppercut, right hook, left hook.

Jab, cross, right uppercut, left uppercut, right hook, left hook.

By 1pm, my hands and arms were sore, and I was wishing that I hadn't decided to end lunch early and visit here instead, hoping Eric wouldn't make me work on my punches again when he came back to the training room.

I spotted him across the room as I grabbed my water bottle and took a small drink from it, propping myself up on the large brick pillar beside the row of punching bags.

"I'm early, surprise, surprise." I smiled as he got closer to me. I saw a ghost of a smile on his features as he stopped in front of me.

"How long have you been in here?" He frowned. I let my smile drop.

"Half an hour. The mashed potato and chicken here really isn't that great. So, I figured I may as well spend my time here doing something more important than eating the crappy food."

He chuckled. "You seemed to enjoy that hamburger last night, though."

I rolled my eyes at him. "You see, that was what I'd like to call decent food here. I mean, Candor has much better stuff, but here? No. If we could import the good stuff from Candor - I mean, the chicken and lettuce wraps - I'd be much happier with staying in the dining room for the whole of lunch."

Eric smirked at me, shaking his head. "So you've been working on the bags all lunch?" I nodded. "Fine, we won't do that now. Put your water down, we're going for a run. Five laps around the compound, let's go, Candor. If you do it, we'll see if you can get some of your chicken and lettuce wraps imported here, just for you."

* * *

My legs were burning by the time I walked back to my apartment after dinner that night. My hamburger was the best part of my whole day and I found myself excited to collapse down on the lounge in the living room and simply relax for a while, considering I hadn't had a proper chance to do it earlier.

I slipped the key card into the door and closed it behind me before walking straight into my bedroom, grabbing my pajamas and a new set of undergarments and walking straight to the bathroom.

The shower was warm against my skin as I let it warm up my muscles that had been so overworked earlier in the day. I stepped out after a few minutes, drying myself and changing into my pajamas.

They were the one thing I'd brought from home that let me feel completely in Candor rather than Dauntless. I didn't know what the Dauntless pajamas looked like, but I imagined they were completely black as most of the clothing here was. Yet, the only aspect of mine that was was the leggings. The shirt was long sleeved and white.

I stepped back out into the living room and poured myself a glass of water before pulling my damp hair back into a bun on the top of my head and getting comfortable on the lounge. It was better than anything I'd sat on all day, considering most of it had been the hard wood of the dining hall seats.

As soon as I'd made myself comfortable, a loud knock sounded on my door. I groaned and pulled myself up again, slowly making my way to the door. I pulled it open and leant against the door frame, looking up at whoever was standing there and trying my hardest to look enthused to see whoever they were.

My smile dropped as soon as I saw who it was.

He pushed past me into my apartment and I frowned, closing my door behind me and turning to face him. "Why are you in my apartment?"

I stepped towards him and he continued walking to the dining table where he sat down the large amount of papers, books and boxes in his hands.

"I'm delivering a few things, on orders of Max." He frowned, turning back to face me. "If it was my choice, there's no way in hell I'd be here, Candor. Sit down."

I moved to the table and took a seat at the dining table, looking up at him with raised eyebrows. He took the seat across from me and moved the large box to the side of the pile.

"These are some of the training books and history books describing the history of Dauntless. Max wants you to read them so you can report upon the faction to the best of your ability."

I nodded at him. "That's very nice of him, tell him I said thank you. These will be really useful." I pulled one toward me, turning it over and flicking through it before setting them all on a pile beside me.

"These," he said, motioning to the papers. "Are the files of yourself and of the rest of the leaders. Max wants you to give detailed reports of all the leaders in Dauntless to Jack when your first meeting is next month. So, I suppose you better do it."

Nodding at him again, I took the papers from him and sat them beside each of the books. "And what's in the box? More books? More files?"

Eric rolled his eyes and stood up, moving the box to me. He leant on the table before looking at me directly. "These, Candor, are the lovely chicken and lettuce rolls you asked for from Candor. I had Harrison grab some this afternoon."

I grinned at him, pulling the box toward me. "You're kidding, right? Damn, you're kinder than I thought, Eric."

He stood up and made his way toward the door, though, for a moment, looked at me and smirked. "You're right, by the way, Candor. They do taste better than our crappy mashed potato. You don't mind if I come by and steal some from time to time, do you?" time to time, do you?"


End file.
